


Letters to a soldier

by percyinpanties



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Future AU, Long Distance AU, M/M, Multi, soldier! jason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-16 04:13:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3474032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/percyinpanties/pseuds/percyinpanties
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy is bored and there's an add in the paper. Somehow he ends up getting himself and Nico a pen pal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Summer was dull. Well, not summer itself, Percy used to love the summers, but this one was different. He had finished school that year and, unlike pretty much everyone he knew, no intention of enrolling in university right afterwards. It wasn’t just that he hadn’t had the best grades in school, but he also had no clue what he wanted to do with his life. For the most part, Percy had lived in the moment and not given a thought to what would come in his future until it was on him and he had no idea where to turn. For a while, he had thought about joining the army, but apart from his mother’s disapproval, there was still the problem with his dyslexia and ADHD – the same things that made Percy hesitant about college.

There was still Nico, but Percy could only annoy him so much. Even though they’d grown to be good friends over the past year, Percy still felt like the boy was vary around him.   
And then there was the war raging in the north. It created a depressing atmosphere and took the light out of many things, and it was one of the reason many of Percy’s friends had sought to leave in the first place.

Yes, summer alone was dull, and even more so when there was everything yet nothing to be done about it. It was like a countdown that just wouldn’t stop starting over, putting you constantly on edge, but never giving you the release of a resolve.  
It was frustrating.

 

The first ray of hope was the announcement in the papers two weeks into July. Percy had taken a job in a bar, and the few days he didn’t feel like he might just fall asleep standing, he spent with Nico. The boy had gotten used to Percy hanging around and had stopped minding, or at least stopped complaining about Percy’s absolute lack of respect for personal space and personal boundaries. That afternoon Percy flopped down face first onto his bed, nearly throwing the other boy off with his momentum and earning himself a playful kick in return. Nico spent a lot of time in Percy’s flat now, Percy mused. He turned over to lie on his back then, grinning up at Nico sitting next to him with his legs crossed. Most of the time he didn’t really think about it, but he actually it a lot when Nico was around. Percy should tell him, make sure Nico knew he was wanted here. A year ago, the two of them had fought a lot over this, and Percy never wanted Nico to think like that again.  
The boy’s lips twitched with a smile, Percy realised had been staring, and then Nico hit Percy over the head with the newspaper lying on his bed, probably to divert his attention from staring at him.  
Having the attention span of a small animal, Percy’s interest was immediately caught by the title of an ad printed on the page Nico had attacked him with.

_Letters for our legion_

“Look at this.” It had taken Percy several minutes to read the short ad, but if Nico had noticed, he didn’t comment on it. He just took the paper from his friend’s hand and skimmed over the words himself.   
The article had been written by two brothers, asking for young people that couldn’t support the war by joining to support the soldiers by writing them. Apparently, many of their legion had barely any family left, and no one to come home to. The brothers had decided that this should be changed and opened up an army post-box, now asking in the newspaper for it to be filled. It sounded a lot like a secret dating agency, if Percy was being honest, but that would only add to the fun.   
Percy had liked the idea, Nico wasn’t as impressed. He looked over the newspaper at Percy, raising an eyebrow.  
“Seriously?” Was all he said, and Percy laughed softly, pushing himself up on one elbow.   
“I like it. And I got not much to do anyway. Let’s write one with me?” Percy didn’t even have to go as far as to pull out the puppy eyes before Nico gave in. He knew Nico couldn’t resist him.

* * *

 Jason had told Connor and Travis that they plan to find themselves some pen pals would backfire, but they hadn’t paid him much attention. He had read their ad, and it sounded too much like they were planning some kind of match-making scheme for him to actually agree to become part of.

When the first batch of letters rolled in, it turned out that Jason was right. There were way more than either of the brother’s had expected, and Reyna – the praetor of their legion – was so done with their bullshit that she insisted that  _every single letter_  would be answered within the week or she would make sure there were consequences for the two of them.   
Jason had a soft heart, so when Connor came begging to him to take some letters after all, he took two – one for himself and one for his friend Frank.   
  
Jason actually liked the letter.  _A lot._  It was written by two boys who clearly took the whole thing about as serious as Jason did himself. They had included a picture of themselves, their messy dark hair seeming to be the only thing they had in common. One of them was really tan, with a goofy grin on his face and the most startlingly green eyes Jason had ever seen. The other was younger, definitely shorter and seemed a bit annoyed with his friend, but the smile on his face was still fond. Jason found himself smiling back at the picture.   
He turned it over in his hand and found a neat line written on the back.

_Look at what I have to put up with._

Jason had no doubt it had been written by the smaller of the two.  
The letter itself was fool of stupid smiley faces, changing colours of ink and sentences that ended mid-word. The two had apparently passed the paper back and forth, interrupting each other at several points, and even had tiny conversations with each other within the actual letter.   
For the rest of the afternoon, Jason wore a small smile on his face. He answered them the same evening.

* * *

“Can’t you knock?” Nico snapped at Percy from where he was lying on the floor. When Percy had burst through the door without announcing himself, Nico had been startled enough to fall off his chair. Percy could barely keep himself together, but at least he had the decency not to laugh as he offered Nico a hand and pulled him back to his feet. 

“This is my flat, I didn’t think I’d need to knock on my own doors.” Percy was teasing, Nico knew that, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth. Percy must have noticed his face turning sour, because he nudged him gently. “Anyway, we got an answer.” Percy was waving a letter in front of Nico’s nose and he tried swatting it away, before changing his mind and snatching it out of Percy’s fingers.  
“You read it yet?” Percy shook his head and Nico caught himself smiling slightly, surprised Percy had managed waiting for him.   
“Wanted to read it together.” Percy was bouncing on his feet and Nico would probably have thought it to be annoying, if it wasn’t kind of adorable at the same time. Nico rolled his eyes at him and sat down at the edge of the couch, starting to rip open the envelope. Percy settled half behind him, resting his chin on Nico’s shoulder to peek down.   
By now, Nico was used to Percy just edging close to him like it was the most natural thing, but it still made his heart flutter every time. He swallowed and tried his damnedest not to blush, concentrating on getting the letter out of the envelope instead.

He read it aloud without Percy even having to ask. It was one of the little things they’d established in the time they spent together, and Nico couldn’t deny that he liked the thought of Percy needing his help for something.  
The man their letter had gone to was called Jason and had just joined the actual legion, even though he had been there for most of his life. He was a war orphan, a kid whose parents had either given their lives in service or had been casualties during the first war. As compensation, these children were granted life within the legion until they could support themselves or chose to join in.  
Jason admitted to not having planned on taking any of the letters at all at first, but also to being glad he had in the end. The letter was a lot neater than the one Percy and Nico had sent, but written with a very similar kind of humour.   
At the end, they found a picture of three man, none of them looking much older than Percy. Jason had labelled them as  _“Connor and Travis – the ones who had the stupid idea with the letters”_   and a simple “+ _Me.”_ over the last face.

“He’s handsome.” That was the first thing Percy said, taking the picture and turning it over in his hands. Nico had no time to wonder about Percy’s statement, as he discovered another line of text on the back of the picture.   
“He doesn’t seem so bad.” Nico read, confused, but then clapped a hand over his mouth. Percy frowned at him, reading the line himself. Nico hadn’t told Percy about what he had written on the back of their picture, and he hadn’t expected an answer to it.   
“Who’s not bad?” Percy asked, turning his face on Nico’s shoulder. They were far too close like this, and Nico felt his face heat up. Percy never noticed what he did to him, he didn’t now, so Nico just shook his head.   
“Never mind. I wrote something on our picture.” Percy gave him a questioning look, but Nico didn’t say anything else, just taking the picture back from Percy’s hands and standing up. He needed some space between them, or his thoughts would wander to places they didn’t belong.   
Nico pinned the picture to his wall, the letter underneath, and when Percy looked at him puzzled, he just shrugged.   
“You don’t want to keep it?” Nico shook his head at Percy’s question, feeling his face heat up.  
“I spent more time here than at home anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.”   
It was luckily explanation enough, and Nico didn’t have to admit to just needing to get away from Percy for a second. He hadn’t thought much about putting up the picture, but his answer made sense.  
When Nico turned back around, Percy was smiling at him oddly and it made something churn in Nico’s gut.  “What?” Percy laughed softly, then shook his head.  
“It’s nothing. You’re right, you basically live here.” Nico raised a brow, he wasn’t sure if Percy had meant that as a good thing.  
“Does it bother you?” Nico asked slowly, not sure he wanted to hear the answer. To his surprise, Percy shook his head with a laugh.  
“God no. I like having you here. For all I care you could move in and…” Nico’s face had gone slack, that was just a little much. His heart skipped a couple beats, and Percy stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Nico’s expression. “I was just saying, don’t feel pressured or something, yeah?”  
Nico slowly shook his head. Percy liked having him around enough to want him here permanently, Nico wasn’t sure if that was the best, or the worst thing he’s heard all month.   
Percy smiled his crooked smile and Nico cursed his heart for fluttering again.  
“Let’s answer that letter.”

* * *

Jason got another letter sooner than he expected. He wasn’t sure if the two boys would actually pull through with the writing, and was pleasantly surprised when he saw that they actually seemed pretty committed.  
This letter was a lot less cluttered than the one before, but just as goofy as the first. After that, Jason found himself looking forward to his letters.  
They developed a strangely deep friendship as time went on. Percy was extremely open about everything right from the start, it seemed to be just the way he was wired, while it took Nico longer to open up. Jason felt a surge of pride when he did, knowing that it was special that Nico confided in him.   
Sometimes Percy would sneak pictures into the letters that he had taken of Nico without noticing, sometimes Nico wrote the letters all alone while he watched Percy working at the bar, throwing in the occasional  _“Percy says to tell you…”_ before moving right on to where he left off.

Travis and Connor teased Jason a lot about his letters, every now and then trying to snatch and read one, but Jason was strangely protective about them. Somehow they felt personal, not like something to be shared with the world. It was Frank who opened his eyes in the end.  
“It’s because you care. You’ve been talking to them for months now, no one can blame you for… liking them.” When Jason still looked unconvinced, Frank rolled his eyes. “Look, people fall in love in mysterious ways…” Jason’s eyes widened.   
“I’m not in love.” Before Frank could add anything, Jason left.

In the following weeks, Jason thought about Frank’s word a lot, even though the other man never brought the topic up again. He couldn’t fall in love with someone he had never met, could he? And after all, it wasn’t just one person, but two, and Jason didn’t think he could actually separate what he felt for them in his head. It wasn’t Percy and Nico, it was  _percyandnico_  to him, and that made things just a whole lot more complicated.

He never brought it up, wasn’t even sure how he could if he wanted to, and eventually, his worries faded into the background again.

At the beginning of December, Reyna called Jason to see her. It came unexpected, the whole way it took him to get to the praetor’s quarters, Jason worried about what she could possibly want. When he entered, Reyna smiled at him oddly, and that was what really made him uncomfortable. He watched her vary as he approached the chair she was sitting in, waiting for her to speak first.  
He didn’t have to wait long, before he even reached her, Reyna pushed some papers on the table in his direction.  
“Congrats, your leave request was passed.” Jason frowned, that didn’t make sense.   
“My leave request?” He hadn’t handed in a leave request, not sure why he would in the first place. He hadn’t any family to see, his sister had joined the war herself and there was no way this was her doing.  
“Uh-huh. Gave you the whole holidays. 23rd till the 2nd, you should be pleased.” It explained Reyna’s good mood at least, it wasn’t often she could sent someone home for a while, especially not since the war had gotten tougher. Suddenly, it clicked into place. There was just one place he could go. Jason knew who was behind this.  _Frank._

He swallowed his momentary anger for his friend and forced himself to smile at Reyna instead.  
“Thanks. This is great.” It didn’t sound very genuine, but he had a bone to pick with Frank before he could really appreciate Reyna’s gesture. How he had decided it was a good idea to request leave for Jason was beyond him.

As it turned out, it hadn’t been Frank after all, but the Stoll’s. Jason should have known something like this was only a matter of time, but in the end, he couldn’t really be angry with any of them at all. By the time the sun went down, the whole story started to have more ups than downs, and when Jason sat down to write his next letter, he was actually wearing a smile.

“ _What do you think about getting a visitor for Christmas?”_


	2. A soldier for Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason visits and finds his expectations met. Nico has feelings, Percy tries to keep his to himself.

Of course, Percy ended up having to work on the 23rd. As most nights in the past few weeks, Nico tagged along, sitting by the end of the bar and glaring at all the people flirting inappropriately with his friend.

It’s both better and worse this time of year. People are generally trying to be less shitty, all in the jolly spirit, but they are also more than ever seeking comfort where there is none. No one likes being alone over the holidays.  
Nico has gotten used to the men and women that usually come in. Many are townsfolk, they know Percy and they know him, and when they order drinks for Percy while he’s managing the bar it mostly originates in kindness. There are always others though, and the closer it gets to Christmas, the more obnoxious they become.   
Nico hates having to watch when they flirt with Percy, who always flirts back, not just because it’s his job but because that’s just how Percy works. He hates hearing the offers they make him, but at least they make Percy just as uncomfortable as they make him. What he still had problems getting accustomed to was the ridiculous amount of mistletoes in the bar and the fact that Percy had kissed more strangers since the season began than Nico had in all of his whole life.   
Nico knows he’s biased, and more than once was he tempted taking advantage of the green bushes himself.

For Nico himself, Christmas never held a lot of meaning. Before his sister passed away, they used to have a small celebration for just the two of them, but ever since her death Nico mostly tried to avoid everything that came along with the festive season.

Moving in with Percy has made that considerably harder. Percy  _loved_  Christmas like a child. By the first of November, the whole flat had basically been covered in fairy lights and tinsel and ever since ‘Last Christmas’ came on the radio for the first time, Percy was constantly humming either this or ‘Let it snow’.   
Before the first week of December was gone, and Nico had reluctantly agreed to bake Christmas biscuits with Percy, a letter from Jason came. While Percy framed the stars with blue icing, Nico sat on the kitchen counter and read the news aloud.   
“What do you think about getting a visitor for Christmas?”

Percy had looked at him, first thinking it was Nico asking him, but then Nico pointed at the letter in his hand.   
“Jason’s asking if we’d have him for the holidays.”

Percy made a very high pitched noise of excitement that he would later deny even being capable of doing and started decorating some cookies specifically for Jason. Nico had rolled his eyes and read the rest of the letter, and Percy had bounced on his feet for the rest of the day. It reminded Nico of a puppy that had been either given sugar of caffeine, or in Percy’s case, probably both. Nico would never admit to it, but it was one of those things that deepened his affection for Percy where they should probably be lessened.

Nico was excited himself, but he could conceal it easier. He liked Jason, a lot, and getting a chance not just to see him face to face, but to spend Christmas with him and Percy seemed a lot like a dream to Nico.

But this is where they were now, sitting in the bar a day before Christmas Eve, hoping Percy would manage to get off his shift early enough for them to get to the station before Jason’s train was to arrive. The thing about living in a relatively small town was that by now, everyone knew that ‘their soldier’ was coming to visit today, so everyone kept sneaking glances and laughing softly, at least half as excited to see the man as Nico and Percy were themselves.

Percy was especially ecstatic today and Nico watched with a smile playing on his lips. Percy danced behind the bar while preparing the drinks, flirted a little extra with the new and old customers and every now and then stood where Nico was sitting to entertain him as well.  
They still had an hour, and right now it was looking like they’d actually stood a chance at being punctual. Nico had barely finished thinking the thought, when the door opened and a familiar woman stepped in. She was followed by a taller man and a cloud of snowflakes.

* * *

 

“Look who I found.” Percy looked up at the voice. It was Clarisse, shrugging off her long coat and shaking the snow out of her hair. She had a man in tow whose face was hidden underneath a woollen hat and a thick scarf. Percy leaned forward against the counter and smiled at both of them brightly.

When he and Clarisse first met, they had hated each other, but after years of living as basically neighbours and going to the same school, they had come to tolerate and eventually kind of like each other. Most of the people around were waving at her in greeting, smiling or nodding their heads. Clarisse was respected, even before she joined the legion, but now even more so. It shouldn’t have surprised Percy what came next.

“I’ve heard you found yourself a soldier, Jackson.” She leaned against the bar, her face level with Percy’s only for the blink of an eye before he pulled away and started preparing her usual drink.

“Jealous?” He asked, flashing her a cheeky grin. Clarisse laughed and Percy placed her drink on the counter in front of her. She took it with a smile and Percy took the chance to steal a glance at Nico, sitting in a dark corner right next to the bar, nearly melting into the shadows.

“But yeah, we’re picking him up in a bit.” Clarisse nodded and then, with the most self-satisfied smirk on her lips, pointed behind her.

“I don’t think you need to do that.” It wasn’t until then that Percy actually paid attention to the man she’d brought in. There was not much to see, since he hadn’t taken off the hat or unwound the scarf from his face, so Percy brought his attention back to Clarisse with both eyebrows raised.

“I found your soldier at the station.” She clarified, speaking slowly like Percy was a dumbass. He kind of was, since only then he also noticed the uniform the man was wearing.

“You’re shitting me. Jason?” It wasn’t Percy, but Nico who spoke, having jumped from his chair and walked several steps into the man’s direction before hesitating. The man now pulled off his hat, revealing blond hair and eyes bright enough that even in the dark of the bar, they seemed to radiate. Percy had by far not as much tact as Nico, while Jason busied himself taking off the scarf and revealing his face, Percy basically jumped over the bar and closed the distance between them with a fierce hug.

Even though they had never seen each other face to face before, it was easy and natural, and Jason met Percy’s hug halfway. They were both laughing when they pulled away and before Nico had a chance to flee, Jason was hugging him as well. Percy noticed how Nico went stiff for a second but then relaxed into the hug after all. Nico was smiling unusually bright and Percy felt incredibly drawn toward it, like a moth to the light. Before they noticed him staring, or anyone could complain about the bar being unattended, he backed away into his working space again.

* * *

 

Jason hadn’t dared hoping that it would be this easy. Even though he had been writing Percy and Nico for months now, and even though he felt strongly for them, these first few minutes could have ruined everything.

They didn’t though, and after hugging and laughing – and then some more hugging – Percy had to retreat back behind the bar.

Nico offered Jason the seat next to him, and while Jason could basically see the whole pub watching the three of them, he felt at ease. The evening was a slow one, even though it was the day before Christmas eve, and Percy basically just switched between standing by Clarisse and the two of them.

Jason watched Percy and Nico interact and the warmth that spread through his body from his chest felt a lot more like  _nicoandpercy_  than two separate feelings. Even from their letters Jason had been able to tell just how fond of each other they were, but seeing them now… Jason wondered if they knew how they looked at each other.

Seeing them in flesh and blood and colour, Jason realised that they exactly how he had imagined them to be. Jason had been afraid that the real Percy and Nico would be different from who they seemed to be in their letters, and he was grateful that it wasn’t the case.

Percy was all unused energy and smiles and jumping around and dancing behind the bar, flirting with the two of them just as much as with every customer approaching them. Nico on the other hand was quiet, the fondness carefully hidden in his eyes and his emotion bubbling under the surface, but never getting out. Jason felt drawn to both of them so strongly that it scared him, now more than ever.

Percy was leaning on the counter now, both elbows propped up as he talked about decorating the flat with Christmas ornaments and figurines the past week. Jason couldn’t help a smile when Nico added that now their flat looked like an elf had thrown up in their hallway. The smile gave him away though, and Jason suspected Nico secretly enjoyed Percy’s excitement.

Jason told them about how Frank was going to see his fiancée and how Jason they’d gone out to the nearest city to do some Christmas shopping. It surprised neither of them that Jason had been no help whatsoever when it came to helping Frank find a present for her and Percy admitted that he was just as useless when it came to these things.

In no time, the end of Percy’s shift rolled around.  His replacement, a girl called Katie, came in early, so Percy wouldn’t have to stay any longer than absolutely necessary.

They walked the way to Percy’s - and Nico’s - flat. Jason had his bag slung over one shoulder, his scarf now wound around Nico’s neck. Back in the bar, Percy had taken it from him and decided to wrap Nico in it, especially when the smaller boy started to protest. He seemed rather content with the situation now, and Percy smiled smugly as soon as Nico nuzzled into the wool at the first cold breeze.

It barely took them five minutes to reach the building, Percy unlocked the door and let the two others pass him, before switching on the light in the hallway. Jason laughed almost instantly, and even Nico grinned at his reaction.

“It really does look like an elf threw up in here.”

“Don’t you dare insult my décor Grace, or I will make  _you_  glitter.” Percy was standing far too close, and Nico’s chuckle echoes in the quiet room. It looked like Percy was trying to rile Jason up on purpose, but maybe Jason was just reading things into this… probably the latter.

“I’d like to see you try.” He retorted, smirking, and then Percy laughed, pulling away from Jason and walking down the hall with Jason’s bad in hand. Nico just shook his head at the two of them, smile not fading this time, and followed Percy.

“You get my bed.” Nico told him, not turning around. “Me and Percy just take turns with the couch.” Percy, who’d just dropped Jason’s bag in front of the door of what must be Nico’s room, turned around and gave Nico a look.  
“You’re sleeping with me.” The way he said it made it sound like this was not the first time they had this discussion. “You slept in my bed before, it easily fits two.”   
Percy looked outright offended at the thought that Nico wouldn’t want to share a bed with him, and Jason had to half turn around to hide his smile. Nico gave a long suffering sigh.   
“If you hog the sheets I’m kicking you out.” When Jason turned back, Percy grinned brightly, Nico looked like he was trying hard to look gloomily.

“You can’t kick me out of my own bed.” Nico raised an eyebrow.

“Try me.”

* * *

 

It is morning now and Nico is curled up against Percy. This is the exact reason why he had tried to get out of sharing a bed. Percy is the biggest cuddler, especially when he’d getting sleepy, and Nico can’t resist him no matter how hard he tries. He would pretend it bothered him, if he didn’t enjoy it as much. Percy would probably back off if Nico told him to, but Nico doesn’t, enjoying the closeness far too much to muster the strength to either stay away or tell Percy to do so.

As every other time this has happened, Nico slips out of the bed before Percy wakes up, sneaking into the kitchen in too wide pyjamas and starting up the coffeemaker. He’s not surprised to find Jason there, leaning against the sink and smiling at him.

“Morning.” Nico blushes a little but smiles back at Jason, turning his face away from him to busy himself with the coffee.

“Slept well?” He asks, filling water into the machine. Jason hums before he responds.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but uh… your pillow smells nice.” Nico’s eyes widen for a second and he is unsure what to answer to that, but he is saved from awkward silence by Percy, who comes walking into the kitchen right that moment and starts laughing.

“Sounded not creepy at all.” He comments as he passes Nico and, for god knows what reasons, ruffles his hair. Percy is not bothered at all when Nico glares at him, and Jason is grinning innocently at the two of them.

Percy makes pancakes because “it’s Christmas and we are allowed to have nice things.” and they sit together on the too small couch, Nico more on Percy’s lap than on the cushions beneath.

“There’s a Christmas market at the edge of town.” Percy says suddenly, and Nico’s eyes snap up from his pancakes. He remembers visiting a Christmas market with Bianca when he was a kid, they’d driven all the way to the north with their parents and it was  _beautiful._

Percy must have noticed Nico’s expression going distant, he nudged him with his shoulder gently and raised both brows when Nico turned to look at him.

“We don’t have to go.” He says quietly and Nico notices Jason shift uncomfortably.

“I want to.” Nico answers and gives Percy an earnest smile. The worry eases and Percy’s face goes soft again, Nico has to force himself to look away. “What about you?”

Jason looks up when Nico pokes his thigh with the foot resting next to it.

“Yeah, it’d be nice.” He looks at Percy who lights up like a Christmas tree. An hour later, they pack themselves in layers of clothes and leave for the edge of town.

* * *

 

It’s snowing softly by the time they reach the market, the snowflakes are catching the light and make the world around them sparkle. There is music in the air, and Percy thinks he can recognise the words to ‘Coming home for Christmas’. With an excited smile on his face, he pokes Jason’s side, making the man look at him.   
“You hear that?” Jason quirks an eyebrow, but smiles softly. Percy rolls his eyes. “The song. C’mon, dance with me.” Jason’s laughing, but he takes Percy’s hand when he offers and they dance a couple steps along the sidewalk. Nico is watching them with a soft smile on his face and if Percy knew he stood a chance when asking him, he’d dance with Nico as well. As it was though the only thing that would earn him was a handful of snow in his face.

Jason twirls Percy around, laughing along when Percy can’t help himself any longer, the sounds echoing off the buildings around them. They lose their step and nearly fall over each other, but Jason catches Percy with an arm around his waist before he can land on his ass.

Percy catches Jason’s eyes and lingers for a moment too long, but then he remembers where they are and that Nico is right behind and tears his gaze away from Jason.

The market is everything Percy hoped it to be. There are stands full of candy and chocolate, the air smells like cinnamon, pine and mulled vine and Percy can’t for the life of him stop smiling. Everywhere around them the world is covered in colourful lights and ornaments, candy canes and heart-shaped gingerbread.

Jason buys the three of them hot chocolate that really is more molten chocolate than milk and Percy lets out an embarrassingly loud moan when he first tastes it. Jason laughs, Nico rolls his eyes and Percy’s tries to fight off the blush that creeks up his neck. Neither of them can deny that it really tastes that good, so Percy makes them promise that they’ll stop on their way back again to get some more.

When Jason takes back their mugs, Percy’s eyes land on Nico. He has a spot of chocolate underneath his bottom lip and Percy has to  _physically restrain himself_  not to lean in and kiss it away. The thought so uncalled for that Percy starts blushing all over again, but before Nico can ask him what is going on, he reaches out with one hand and brushes the chocolate away with his thumb. Nico’s face heats up as well, and just as Jason comes back, Percy licks the chocolate of his thumb.

“That…” Nico starts, but then shakes his head, obviously giving up before he even gets to it. Percy knows he’s walking a thin line, he knows that he should keep both his attraction and feelings for both of them to himself, but the festive mood is getting to his head and dazing his judgement, so Percy decides that he really can’t be blamed for his actions.

Jason looks at him questioningly, Nico has already moved on to the booth of wooden toys next to them, so Percy sighs quietly.

“He had chocolate on his lip.” Percy gestures to his mouth as if the sentence wasn’t clear enough and notices Jason’s eyes follow his movement. Jason’s tongue darts out and swipes over his own and again Percy has to drag his eyes away from Jason.

“And you’re saying I’m creepy.” Jason’s teasing, and Percy is so,  _so_  grateful that the situation hasn’t turned tense.

“Oh come on.” Percy’s laughing again and whatever bit of awkwardness lingered in the air diffuses. “At least I’m not telling him that my pillows will smell like his shampoo.” Jason grins and shakes his head.

“You know I can hear you both, right?” When Percy looks to where Nico is standing, the boy is looking back at them, expression amused. Jason’s cheeks redden, but Percy is for once past the point of being embarrassed. He winks at Nico when he walks past, then sticks his tongue out just for good measure.

* * *

 

If Jason didn’t know better, he’d think Percy was flirting with him. But Percy has a generally cheeky personality, and he is teasing Nico just as much as Jason. He doesn’t want to get up his hopes up when there is actually nothing to hope for in the first place. Still, the amount of winks and lingering touches and times Jason catches Percy staring a little too long make Jason  _want_  to believe that there is more to it.

Jason feels good around Nico and Percy, at ease. They spend ages on the market, trying sweets and hot punch, looking at all the hand crafted ornaments and decorations. Jason’s fingers are cold and going numb, even when he rubs them together and hides them in his pockets and his nose has taken on a dark shade of red. It’s Nico who eventually decides that they should go back home though.

“I’m gonna be frozen solid by the time we’re back.” A shiver goes through his body, and Percy and Jason both have the same though. Almost simultaneously, they move to wind an arm around Nico, only noticing at the last second what they’re doing. Percy laughs and slings his arm around Nico’s waist instead of his shoulders, leaving room there for Jason. The boy stiffens under their touch, but relaxes into it the next moment.

“That’s not what I was trying to ask for but…” Nico looks from Jason to Percy and back again, then to the ground. Jason can see him smiling. “This is nice too.” He says it quietly, like he doesn’t really want them to hear, but Percy’s smile instantly gets brighter and Jason can feel his own face light up. He brushes his fingers over Percy’s shoulder who in return touched his to Jason’s side. If Nico noticed, he didn’t say anything.


	3. Chapter 3

_I only have time for some lines before I have to leave, I’m sorry that is all I can give you. I’ve been issued a quest, one that I cannot tell you about until it is completed and one that makes it impossible for me to keep in contact during the time I am on it. I have named you as my emergency contacts, so when something happens to me, you’ll be the first to know. I wish I could promise to come back soon._

_Until we meet again,_

_Be brave, stay safe. I love you._

* * *

"Open it." Nico shakes his head, lips pressed into a thin line and his face as pale as the white wall behind him. The past weeks have been incredibly hard on both of them, after that last letter in early January they didn’t get a single word from Jason, and worry had dominated their days. Now they are sitting around the kitchen table, the letter on the table between them, still untouched.

It doesn’t look like Jason’s do, but like an official one, and neither Percy nor Nico have managed to open it yet, too afraid what it might read. Nico had feared this from the start, the last letter Jason himself send them made it sound like the blonde himself didn’t have any faith in his own return and it still makes Nico ache deeply in his chest.

"Open it." Percy says again, and when he meets Nico’s eyes this time they are sad, wide and desperate. Sooner or later, they will have to face whatever truth will be written in there. Nico swallows, and with trembling fingers he tears the envelope open. Percy watches intently, hands wringing on the table and his lips pressed into a thin line. He is barely holding on, Nico can tell, because he feels pretty much as lost.

Just as they feared, it is a letter from the legion. Nico’s hands feel numb when he unfolds the single paper and smoothes it down on the table’s surface. Percy has his eyes pressed shut and Nico suspects it’s to keep from crying.

"Nico di Angelo, Perseus Jackson, I am…" Nico tries swallowing around the lump in his throat, but it stays just where it is. He can barely make out the words, tears are swimming in his eyes and blurring his vision. "I am deeply sorry to…" Nico’s voice breaks and he has to tear his gaze away from the letter. There is no way he can finish this sentence, he can guess what it’ll say and he is nowhere near ready to read about that.

The chair hits the ground with a loud clatter, Percy is standing and his hands are curled to fists on top of the table. There are hot tears running down his cheeks, even though his eyes are still closed, and he shakes his head.

"No." Percy’s voice sounds so broken, Nico just wants to reach out and pull him in, but he feels too empty himself to even muster the strength to move. "No." Percy says again, and this time it’s angry. He slams his fist on the table and cries out, Nico flinches away, but Percy doesn’t notice, he crumbles to the ground and sobs start to shake his shoulders.

Nico has no tears. He had felt them earlier, but now that reality is sinking in they are all gone. Maybe the pain is too much and this is him going into shock, or maybe his body just shut down all emotions to protect him from the inevitable hurt. All Nico knows is that he feels dead inside, and when he eventually slips from his seat his movements feel mechanical. He crawls into Percy’s lap, right on the kitchen floor, and buries his face in the other one’s neck. Right now he just wants to hide, hide from the world and the pain and the terrible sinking feeling of  _helplessness._  There is absolutely nothing he can do.

Percy shakes, and Nico can’t comfort him. It used to be easy, he knew exactly how to act when it came to Percy, but even that has left his mind now. There is just an empty ringing, filling his thoughts and his ears and somehow even his vision until Nico has to close his eyes to block it out. He’s not even sure if he’s still in his own body anymore, everything feels surreal and not even Percy’s hands fisting themselves into the back of Nico’s shirt bring reality back to him.

Nico wishes he could be angry, that he could scream and rage and  _blame_   _someone_ , the way he had felt when his sister died all those years ago but he  _can’t._  There is  _nothing_  inside, and Nico curls closer against Percy. Their little family is broken apart, and for the first time since meeting Percy, Nico feels like this is a problem they can’t get past together.

* * *

_"Help. Jason?" Nico tried to wiggle free, but unlike the morning before, Percy just won’t let him go. Nico pushed at him over and over again, but it wasn’t any good. Percy’s arms were wound around him like a steel trap, and when Percy started nuzzling along his collarbone, Nico could feel his resolve crumbling._

_“Happy Christmas.” Percy was speaking right into Nico’s skin and he couldn’t fight off the shudder that ran through him. He really wanted to hate Percy right then, for tempting him like this, or maybe for acting like a cat that didn’t get enough petting the night before.  
“Your mum’s gonna kill us if we’re late.” It was Christmas morning and if they wouldn’t get out of bed right away, they’d end up late for lunch at Percy’s mum’s. Nico had promised Sally that they’d drop by, just as Percy himself had done. Christmas was a family holiday for most people after all, but right then it looked like Percy was trying his best to convince Nico that staying in bed was a better idea._

_“Don’t make me fight dirty.” Nico warned, voice low and threatening, but Percy chuckled, probably thinking in an entirely different direction. He tightened the arms around Nico’s waist and Nico tried unsuccessfully to hide his smile.  
“You know this means war.” He whispered and then sneaked his hands along Percy’s sides. It was definitely not what Percy had been expecting, because Nico started tickling him then, and Percy made a high pitched noise._

_“You monster.” Now it was Percy trying to wind his way out of Nico’s grip, but he had slung his legs around Percy’s waist and held Percy where he wanted him. Nico was having too much fun torturing Percy to let him go just then, especially when Percy dissolved into a mess off giggles underneath his fingers._

_With a thud, they fell out of bed, Nico landing on top of Percy and knocking the air out of him when they landed. Nico chuckled, pleased with himself, and when he looked up, Jason was standing in the doorway._

_"Sounded like you murdered him in here."_

* * *

Percy wakes up to Nico’s crying. For the whole day, it was all Percy had done, but Nico hadn’t shed a single tear. The grief seems to have caught up to him now though, Nico is shaking with tremors and sobs hard enough to send the mattress vibrating. Percy pulls him close again, he himself is nowhere near stable, he doubts he will be for quite some time, but he can still do this for Nico.

The smaller boy twists in Percy’s arms until he is burying his nose in Percy’s chest and can wrap his legs around Percy’s waist. He is whispering in chocked syllables that are swallowed by sobs and cries, and it takes Percy a while to actually understand some of the words:  _unfair, Jason, why, no, loved, back, hurt, whywhywhywhy._

It’s not like Percy can do anything, this initial shock has to leave Nico’s system before there is even hope for healthy coping, Percy knows because it’s how he feels himself. After breaking down crying, the next thing Percy felt is anger, blinding red-hot anger, and he punched walls and furniture until his hands started bleeding and the skin of his knuckles was scraped off, until he fell back into this unescapable sadness that seems to slow down his every move.

He suspects it works the other way round for Nico, who was too shocked to even feel grief in the beginning it seemed, but now it’s closing in on the other boy. Percy pets Nico’s hair and strokes over his back and presses a thousand soft kisses to his forehead and the line of his hair, tears threatening to spill out of his own eyes again more than once. It takes hours before Nico has cried all his tears. The sun is rising when Nico is reduced to dry sobs and whimpers, and Percy carefully pries Nico’s stiff fingers from the fabric of his shirt.

Nico lets him, and even though every breath rattles his chest, he seems to have calmed down a little now. Percy wipes away the last traces of tears before he leans in and presses a chaste kiss to Nico’s lips. They have each other still, even though Percy fears that it will barely be enough.

* * *

_"Sounded like you murdered him in here." Nico grinned at Jason and his heart skipped a beat. He had gotten up early that day and had spent the majority of the morning trying to get the coffee maker to work, so they could at least have that before they were to leave to visit Percy’s mother._

_"Something like that." Nico quipped and took the hand Jason offered him to get back to his feet. When the smaller boy passed him, he pressed a quick kiss to Jason’s cheek and whispered a soft "Morning." into his ear, and Jason could feel his whole face heating up. Percy grinned goofily up at Jason._

_"I never get morning kisses." He let himself be pulled up by Jason and looked past his shoulder at Nico, who was sticking his tongue out at them. Percy then faced Jason again and wiggled his brows. "Or do I?"_

_Maybe it was the giddy energy running through Jason’s veins, but he didn’t even hesitate before leaning down and pressing a kiss to the corner of Percy’s mouth. Jason lingered a moment to long, but he eventually pulled away with a smirk and at least now he wasn’t the only one whose face was red._

_Percy excused himself to the shower after that, probably more to get away than to actually make himself presentable, but both Jason and Nico let it slip._

_In the kitchen, the coffee maker was gurgling and filled the room with a bitter smell of roasted beans when Jason walked in. Nico was sitting on the counter, his legs crossed underneath him, and a battered tin box in his lap. It had stickers with gingerbread men, Christmas trees and reindeers all over, and somehow Jason knew that it only could have been Percy’s doing._

_"He held me captive." Nico told Jason as he offered him a blue biscuit shaped like a shooting star. "I had no choice but play unfair." After studying the contents of the box for a good minute, Nico chose a star with green stripes on blue icing. Jason huffed a laugh and leaned against the counter across from Nico._

_"Everything’s allowed in love and war."_

* * *

Pain. That is the first thing Jason feels. It’s supposed to be a good thing, he remembers hearing that in training. When you feel pain, you’re still alive. That’s certainly a plus, mostly because it’s the only thing that Jason is sure off right now.

Without any idea where he is or how he got himself there, Jason tries opening an eye, but his body won’t listen to him. He can’t even curl his fingers or shuffle his legs, but he can feel them aching, so at least he knows he hasn’t lost them permanently.

Jason thinks he can hear voices close by. He can’t understand the words, just takes in their echoes and tones, and decides that for now, this is enough.

Sleep is tugging him back under, and at least Jason can let his mind visit happier times while his body is trapped here.

* * *

_"Everything’s allowed in love and war." Percy heard Nico choke and cough, and Jason’s quiet chuckle when he patted him on the back._

_"We’re not in love." Nico wheezed out and Percy deflated a little, but decided that it was best not to stand here eavesdropping and walked into the kitchen instead._

_"Who’s in love?" He asked nonchalantly and reached into the cupboard behind Nico, taking out mugs for the coffee he had smelled all the way into the bathroom. Jason smiled oddly when he took them from Percy, and then proceeded to pouring them a cup each._

_"You are. Nico told me all about this crush of yours." **What?**  Percy could feel himself pale, and he looked between Jason and Nico with narrowed eyes. Jason smirked and handed an amused looking Nico his mug before pressing one into Percy’s hand as well. “I’m kidding. Don’t look at me like I’m a ghost.”_

_Percy didn’t believe Jason for a second, but wasn’t sure he actually wanted to know what it was that Nico had told Jason, because both options were equally mortifying. There was a chance that Nico had caught on to Percy’s painfully obvious affection for him - one that had passed platonic quite some time ago -  or that Nico had picked up on Percy’s growing crush on Jason. He didn’t even want to think about what it could mean when Nico had noticed both._

_"We’re gonna be late." Percy suddenly needed to get out of the kitchen and pushed himself off the chair he’d been leaning against. Jason watched with a raised eyebrow as Percy stormed off, and behind him he could hear Nico huff a laugh and say: "Give him a minute. He’ll get over it."_

* * *

"C’mon Percy. I know you’re in. I saw the lights on from the street." Nico gives Percy a pleading look, but he shakes his head silently. They have been avoiding everyone for nearly three weeks now, Percy had called in sick at work and sent his mother a text so she wouldn’t worry. But people’s understanding only went so far, and it actually surprised Percy in the beginning that it had taken so long for someone to come check on them after all. Sooner or later, he has to open the door, he knows it.

Nico stands up and walks to his room, while he’s generally handling the whole situation better than Percy, he is much less up to talking to anyone, so Percy doesn’t blame him for hiding.

"I swear to the gods, I’ll kick your door in." Percy sighs and unlocks the door. He knows who it is, would recognize the voice anywhere, but it still surprises him a little when it’s actually Clarisse standing in front of the door. Her arms are crossed over her chest and her eyes are blazing with unconcealed anger. "What the fuck do you think you’re doing?"

Percy stares at her in disbelief until he remembers that she probably doesn’t know yet what has happened. He shakes his head and swallows both pain and anger rising in his chest before he steps aside to let her in. She hesitates, but eventually passes him only to turn around and give him a demanding look.

"I’ll show you." He walks back into the living room and opens the first drawer on the left. There is the letter, the one they still haven’t read because the pain was too much to bear. It’s about time though, Percy knows that too, so he hands it to Clarisse wordlessly.

Her eyes widen, then sadden as she skims over the words, but it doesn’t look like she’s actually understanding why Percy and Nico are acting the way they are.

"I’m sorry." She says finally, and Percy knows she means it, but there is something more. "But… at least he’s going to get better? I don’t see why you’re holing yourself up." Pity flashes across her face, a look Percy isn’t used to seeing on her features, and it only adds to his confusion. That is the whole disaster, isn’t it? Jason isn’t going to get better and he isn’t going to  _come back._

A door slams and then Nico’s storming toward Clarisse, and Percy only barely catches his arms before he tries to get the first punch in. It’s not a fight Nico can win, but he still looks at Percy like he has betrayed him by stopping him.

"How can you even  _say that?”_  Nico’s voice is wrecked and it breaks on the final two words, and Clarisse takes a step back. She holds her hands up in surrender, but her brow is furrowed.

"Chris had similar injuries. He’s back on his feet as well. I don’t get why…" Before she finishes her sentence, Nico rips his arm out of Percy’s grip and snatches the letter from Clarisse’s hand.

Percy’s ears are ringing, like he’s been exposed to loud noises for too long and suddenly the world has quieted down entirely. Injured. Injured and not… not dead.

Nico’s eyes are racing over the paper, and then he gasps, stumbles back a step and without warning, collapses to the ground. Percy is still trying to  _really understand_  what is going on. Clarisse is catching on faster, not that this is anything new.

"You didn’t read it, did you?" She says it quietly, almost in a soothing voice, and this too seems utterly out of character for the rough-tough soldier woman Percy is used to seeing. He manages to shake his head, still frozen in his place. They hadn’t read it because they couldn’t, they just assumed…

Nico’s sharp laugh snaps Percy back into his body, the world comes into focus again. It’s not as much a laugh as it is a sob, Clarisse reacts faster than Percy does, getting on her knees in front of Nico before Percy has even started to move.

He’s not functioning, because his mind is racing in a steady circle of always the same to words:  _not dead. not dead. not dead **. not dead.**_

* * *

_Sally hugged Nico for a whole minute before she let him go again. He knew she had unofficially adopted him, but it still made him feel warm whenever she showed her affection like this. Nico hadn’t had a big chance at getting to know his own mother, and after Bianca had died, Nico lost his one shot at having a family as well. Or at least that’s what he had thought before Percy had wormed his way into Nico’s life, along with his mother who had taken it on her shoulders to make Nico feel like he was part of their tiny family now._

_What he hadn’t expected was for her to coo Jason in a similar manner. The blonde was obviously more than a little uncomfortable with the small woman fuzzing over him at first, but he warmed up to her rather fast. Percy watched them with such affection in his eyes that Nico couldn’t help feeling the same. He had this new little family now, and this one, he was determined to keep._

_Sally’s Christmas lunch was even bigger than the year before, and Nico mused that she could probably feed an entire school class with the amount of food she had prepared in her tiny kitchen. They nevertheless had a blast. Just like Percy did at home, Sally was humming Christmas Carols non-stop and her cheerful mood even infected Nico himself. After they ate Percy gave his mum a neatly wrapped present, even though she scolded him for having spent anything on her._

_Jason nearly teared up watching the two of them, and Nico could admit to feeling touched himself, but he was more used to seeing how close Percy and his mother were. That’s why he told himself that when he reached for Jason’s hand, it was solely for his comfort and nothing else._

* * *

"Npfsdesd." Jason’s throat is sore when he speaks for the first time, and he’s pretty sure nothing understandable actually comes out. There’s no one around to hear it though, at least not that Jason can tell. He can’t remember when he was awake for the last time, but then again, he’s not sure he’d call this state being awake. His head swims, they probably drugged him, because at least most of the pain is gone. His sight isn’t the best either, there are shadows dancing around the room, and Jason thinks he can hear the steady rush of waves, but both things probably are nothing but his imagination.

He dips in and out of consciousness for what feels like forever, then finally a medical officer comes to see him. Jason doesn’t know the man, but his smile is friendly and he seems to radiate a brightness that would make the sun pale in comparison, so Jason can’t help but like him.

"They’re not sure what happened to you, or how you survived." The doc is looking up from his clipboard and fuzzes all around Jason. He thinks he feels the man touch him every now and then, probably checking IVs and bandages, but Jason’s mind is still too foggy for him to be sure about anything. "I pulled a whole lot of shrapnel out of your body. That’s gonna leave some nasty scars, and your lung’s been punctured, so they might not admit you back into the legion."

Jason has trouble following the man’s words, but at least they clear up some of the confusing mess that is his memory.

"You got hit by an electric current that should have fried you." There’s a sharp pain in one of Jason’s fingers and he flinches, sending a sharp pain through his upper body when he moves his arm. The doc is nodding in approval though. "Didn’t even leave a damage. You’re one lucky fella." The man’s writing something on his clipboard, and Jason wants to ask him about a million questions, but his voice still cracks when he tries.

"No talking for you." Jason feels like a child being scolded. "Gotta still give that some rest. There are some people here for you, but I can’t let them in before you got at least two more days of rest. You think you can do that?" Even though it hurts, Jason nods eagerly. Maybe it’s a stupid hope, but there is a slim chance that Nico and Percy are among these people, and Jason would do just about everything to see them now.

* * *

_"It was nice meeting you Sally." Jason still felt a little uncomfortable using the name, but after the third accidental Mrs. Jackson, Percy had smacked him over the head and told him to **get over it** , so Jason had done just that. The woman smiled kindly in return and kissed Jason’s cheek before she said Goodbye to Nico and her son._

_They stayed far longer than any of them had expected, and by the time they made their way back, it was already getting dark outside. Percy was carrying homemade eggnog in a thermos, but he reached for Jason with his free hand and laced their fingers like they had done this a thousand times already. He smiled sheepishly at Jason, like was asking ‘is this alright?’ and Jason gave him a bright smile in return. Nico was walking ahead, but it didn’t take long before Nico had taken the free space to Jason’s other side, a cold hand sneaked underneath Jason’s jacket as soon as he had thrown an arm over Nico’s shoulders._

_Jason was light and happy, feeling like he hovered several feet above the ground by the time they reached the flat. Percy had insisted they spent the night watching cheesy Christmas Classics, and Jason just hadn’t had the heart to tell him no. Nico didn’t even try, just rolled his eyes at Percy before he told Jason to help him unfold the couch and transform it into a makeshift bed._

_They piled up all the blankets and pillows while Percy got the biscuits from the kitchen and poured the eggnog into cups on the table._

_Halfway through ‘Love actually’ Nico was cuddled in between Jason and Percy, their legs a tangled mess, Jason’s arm resting on the back of the pillows so he could run his fingers through Percy’s hair. Two movies later, they fell asleep like this, and Jason doubted he’d ever felt this peaceful._

* * *

Percy either doesn’t know, or doesn’t care that Jason’s still not fully healed up, the second they are allowed in the hospital room he basically jumps Jason. He groans in pain, but Percy’s not to be stopped, he climbs onto the hospital bed and wraps himself around Jason like an octopus.

Nico is a little more mindful, but he seems at least as relieved as Percy is to see Jason in one piece. There are tears swimming in his eyes when he comes to a halt next to Jason’s bed, and his fingers tremble ever so slightly when he reaches out to cup Jason’s face.

When Nico kisses him, Jason lets it happen, leans into it even. They have quite a lot of talking to do, after all that happened and didn’t happen the last time they saw each other, and all the things that happened in between, but for now Jason is just content with this simple thing.

He pushes at Percy, even though it hurts a lot more than Jason is going to admit, and Percy scoots willingly to make enough space for Nico to crawl in from the other side of the bed. It’s a little narrow, and a little uncomfortable, but Jason feels better than he has ever since he’s woken up in this room.

Percy presses soft kisses all along the line of Jason’s jaw until he turns and kisses Percy as well. The other one hums against his lips and tightens his hold once more, only to get his hands swatted away by Nico when a wince escapes Jason.

Neither of them has said a word yet, and Jason still can’t really use his voice, so they just lie together in silence. It’s okay though, this - the two of them - it’s all that Jason needs.


	4. Chapter 4

_“That’s not… how it works. At all.” Nico was giggling under his breath, watching Percy trying to assimilate the tiny chocolate fountain. The other man was mumbling to himself, frowning, waving a hand in front of the gadget like that was going to help. They had gotten it in a thrift-shop two days after Christmas, and it while was barely more than a foot tall, Nico hadn’t found himself able to walk past it. He didn’t regret it, watching Percy trying to get it to work was the best entertainment of the evening so far, but maybe Nico was a little biased there._

_He was resting with his back against Jason’s chest on the couch, feet kicked up on the coffee table, punch in his hands that already started to make him feel warm and fuzzy. Neither Percy nor Jason were  much better, their cheeks red, a permanent blush to their faces, and every laugh came easier than the one before._

_“It’s heating up… I think?” Percy’s brow furrowed and he cocked his head to the side, holding his palms right above the metal like he could feel the heat radiating._

_“I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to melt the chocolate before.” Jason mused, not loud enough for Percy to hear, and Nico chuckled quietly anyway, nestling even more against him._

* * *

 

Recovery is slow.  
Even when Jason’s wounds have healed and most of the permanent pain is gone, he’s not yet back to being his old self again. Not physically, and not emotionally either.   
He has to stay in the clinic, thankfully not in the stale white hospital room he woke up in, but in another wing specifically designed to help people like him get back to their feet.

The process is tedious, exhausting and frustrating, to put it lightly. All Jason wants is to go home, his new home, where he knows Percy and Nico are waiting for him, but for that, he still has a long way to go.

The first two weeks, Jason can barely cross the fifteen feet of the room he’s staying in without collapsing, either his knees or lungs giving out, sometimes both. The doctors allow him to start movement therapy early, because he keeps insisting, but it takes a while for things to look up. Even so, they try to keep his hopes down. An injured lung would have been enough to mark him unfit for service, but on top of that they discover many small things that have been overlooked in the light of Jason’s heavier injuries. Bones and joints not quite in alignment, twisted and minimally fractured at times, ripped tissue that only time and patience can heal and on top of it all, and a psychological trauma that Jason isn’t sure he’s ready to face yet. They tell him it’ll come, when what happened catches up to him, so Jason tries keeping it away for as long as he can.  
On top of it all, they are not sure how well Jason will be able to walk again, one doctor even claims running is completely out of the picture now and ever and that Jason should be grateful if he can walk at all. One of his knees was shattered and isn’t healing like it should, the other one simply hurts without any discernable reason. Jason is beyond sick of it all.

“It’s normal.” The kind doctor from the first day reassures him, smile never faltering. “You’re doing better than expected, just a little while longer. You can do it.”

Jason knows white lies when he sees them, he can tell the doctors are just as displeased with the situation that he’s in as he is himself. Nevertheless, Jason takes it all with a smile, doesn’t let on how much it annoys him, frustrates him even. It’s still not getting easier though and after a month of slow progress, Reyna herself who comes to visit and bring Jason the dreaded news.

It’s not a nice conversation, of course it isn’t. They chit-chat for a while, polite talk that is not like either of them before Reyna finally gets down to business and tells him that there’s no future in this war for him. She says it with a sad smile, in her understanding, Jason doesn’t have anything outside the legion. Just like her, it’s what always connected them, the fact that they were both on their own. Jason doesn’t interrupt her when she expresses sympathy, tells him that while they’ll pay him enough to start over, being alone with nowhere to go is hard, she says she understands and Jason really believes she does. It only makes him more uncomfortable though when she she squeezes his arm like she’s trying to say  _‘you know I don’t like situations like this as much as you do, but please know I’m here if you need me.’_

Jason does what he can, he covers her hand with his own, shakes his head and gives her the first honest smile of the day.

“Don’t worry about me. I met someone, I have a place to go now.”  _I have a place to call home now._

* * *

 

_Orbiting closer until they collide, that’s what Percy felt like they were doing. He doubted they really had clear boundaries anymore, and not in the way he and Nico have had before Jason had  stumbled into their lives, but in a more subtle, intimate one._

_Being close was always something that came easy to Percy, and something that still did, but there was a difference between sharing a hug or cuddling on the sofa and holding hands and pressing chaste kisses to the corner of someone’s lips._

_He was past pretending that what they were doing was platonic, he knew it wasn’t for him and he was at least half sure wasn’t not for Jason and Nico either. But even now, seeing Nico and Jason curled up, fingers linked together, Percy didn’t dare to voice his suspicion._

_Percy startled himself out of his thoughts by accidentally burning his hand on the now hot surface of the fountain, hissing and pulling his hand away while Nico lost it behind him and dissolved into laughter. It wasn’t  fair, the thing hates him, Percy was sure of it, but by now it actually looked like it might work sometime soon._

_“Stop laughing.” Percy reached back to shove at Nico’s knee with the hand not hurting, but it only sent the other one in a new fit of giggles. “You wanted to try it out.” Percy accused him then, pouting slightly. “Stop laughing when I’m trying to make you happy.”_

_At that, Jason snorted, raising a brow at Percy and… well. If Nico was laughing it probably meant Percy succeeded in making him happy, so he gave in and shook his head with a smile. The next day was going to be New Year's Eve, which meant in three days, Jason would have to leave them again, and until then, Percy could even handle being burned if it made Nico smile the tiniest bit._

_One night in, that was what they decided, just for themselves. After spending Christmas Day at Sally’s, and then going out every coming evening, or showing Jason around the town during the day, Nico thought they could use some time alone. By then, Percy doubted Nico knew what he was implying, but frankly, he didn’t care either._

* * *

 

They weren’t allowed to stay for longer than a week, and neither of them alone, or both together, were able to afford staying in a hotel close to the army’s recovery center, so three weeks ago, Percy and Nico left for home. Life almost felt normal again, if it wasn’t for the empty space in their days, the waiting for Jason to come  _home_.

Since they were named as his contacts, the doctors had no choice but to be honest with them, tell them that none of them believed that Jason would ever be allowed back into the legion, not with the lasting effect of his injuries. Percy didn’t say it, but he was more than relieved to know that Jason was out of risk not just for now, but for the future too. He didn’t need to ask to know Nico shared his opinion, the quiet, relieved sigh and the short squeeze of his hand was enough for Percy to guess.

By now, time is starting to become a problem. It passes, but agonizingly slow, like the clock is mocking them. Percy is back at work, Nico back to looking at possible university courses and they both are back to waiting for Jason’s next letter. Some days it’s worse than others, Percy honestly considers dipping into their savings to go see Jason more than once, and he knows Nico would be right there with him, which is exactly why he doesn’t bring it up. It’s a bad idea, and they all know the joy of the short visit would be overshadowed by the fact that in the end, Nico and Percy wouldn’t be allowed to stay for long.

Every night, Nico comes by the bar to fetch Percy from work. It was a small thing in the beginning, but it makes the long work hours pass easier now. Percy stops watching the clock in favour of looking at Nico, and none of the locals complain because by now they all know what the two boys have gone through.

“You’re staring.” Nico says, voice soft and a smile making his lips twitch. Percy grins in response, leaning half over the counter.

“Am I?” He teases, dancing his fingers over the hand Nico is resting between them. Before Nico can answer, Percy stands up on his toes, closing the last bit of distance and planting a kiss first on Nico’s cheek, then another one on his lips. When he pulls away, Nico is blushing slightly, but his smile hasn’t faltered. Even now neither of them is really used to this, and most touches still comes a little hesitant, but they nevertheless make Percy’s heart flutter every time.

He tears himself away from Nico, not without brushing his fingers over Nico’s knuckles a last time, and goes back to working. Another hour and they can go home.

* * *

 

_Sitting on the floor and sharing chocolatey fruits, Jason decided, might just be one of the best ways to spend a quiet evening. Nico barely seemed to be able to stop laughing after Percy took a grape, dipped it into the chocolate and then booped Jason’s nose with it, snickering like a madman. Even worse, when Jason - trying hard not to laugh himself - asked him what that was about, Percy just popped the grape into his mouth, winked, and said: “What grape? You have no evidence.”_

_Jason had to bite his lip to stop himself from saying something, or worse, leaning in to shut Percy up._

_Their position was surprisingly comfortable. Jason had stuck his legs underneath the coffee table when Percy got them some more punch that Nico had made  after a recipe he found online, just with remarkably less alcohol. They didn’t want to get absolutely smashed after all, just enjoy the time to themselves. When Percy had come back, Nico had already draped his legs over Jason’s, half leaning into his side. The boy smiled smugly when Percy raised an eyebrow at him, and then snickered when Percy plopped down to mirror Nico’s position on Jason’s other side._

_The chocolate cooled rather fast, probably because Nico had turned the spring’s heating off to avoid to it getting lumpy. Percy was sucking the last remains of his fingers, grinning like a child on Christmas, which, if Jason was being honest, wasn’t that far from the truth._

_“We should do that more often.” Nico mumbled, head tucked underneath Jason’s chin and fingers tracing patterns on his forearm. It was a strange way to word it, like Jason wouldn’t leave in just three days, like they could spend their time like this forever. For the first time, Jason wished he wouldn’t have to go back, that there was no legion, no war to return to._

* * *

 

Holding Percy’s hand feels almost naturally now. Of course, Nico still is a little hesitant to just take it, even when he knows Percy wouldn’t pull away. He never has, not once since this started to be more has he given Nico the impression that he wasn’t in it with all he was worth but… there’s always a gnawing doubt at the back of his mind, a worry he can’t quite shake. Percy notices, even he can’t pretend that he doesn’t see Nico’s wariness, no matter how oblivious he still is about anyone’s feelings but his own.

The soft press of lips against Nico’s knuckles startles him out of his thoughts and his eyes snap to Percy, smiling hard enough to make his eyes crinkle. With a huff, Nico bumps him with his shoulder, having a hard time trying not to blush again.

“I’m not a princess.” He mumbles, even though he likes it when Percy treats him like that, as if he’s going to swoop Nico off his feet and carry him to a better place. Instead of answering, Percy starts to grin like he knows exactly what Nico is thinking. They’re just a minute from home now and Nico can’t wait to curl under the cover, feel Percy curving around him and fall asleep.

For some reason, he’s been more vulnerable to exhausting the past weeks, but he guessed it’s connected to the constant worry about Jason. They don’t mention it often, but both of them miss him terribly, Nico knows. Part of him thinks it’s also the reason they are stuck in this careful kind of intimacy still, where even a kiss seems like pushing a line that’s not there anymore. To Nico, it seems like going further, actually admitting to this and to them would be betraying Jason. He guesses Percy feels the same, because he never tries changing it either, and every new day without a letter in their postbox he gets more disappointed than the one before.

“Did we leave our light on?” Nico blinks when Percy speaks and looks up to their kitchen window. It’s the only one facing the street, and it’s brightly lit.

“No.” He says slowly, and while his brow scrunches into a frown, hope blooms in his chest. It shouldn’t, Nico tries to fight it down, because the disappointment when they find the flat empty will be almost too much, but it’s too late already. Nico finds himself tugging Percy forward, fishing his key out of his pocket and unlocking the front door with trembling fingers. His heart is beating, loud and fast, and even though the thought is stupid, Nico fears Percy might hear it.

They take the stairs too fast, it’s a miracle neither of them falls, especially with their fingers still linked together. Nico drops the keys at their door and Percy actually laughs softly, freely, and it scares Nico to think how destroyed he’ll be if they really just left a light on. He can’t bring himself to say any of it, because at least they can both swim on this wave for a few moments.

His lip drawn between his teeth, like it’s going to stop him from grinning, Percy bends down and picks up the keys, pressing a chaste kiss to Nico’s lips before turning to the door to unlock. It clicks just once -  _unlocked -_  and Nico squeezes Percy’s hand hard enough it must hurt.

When Percy pushed the door open, the hallway is filled with light, framing a silhouette right in its center.

Nico’s breath catches: their soldier has come home.


	5. Epilogue

 

_It was already morning, closer to five than four, when Percy opened the door and the three of them stumbled into the dark hallway. Nico was still laughing about a really stupid joke Percy had made, giggling under his breath and holding on even tighter to Percy’s hand, Jason strolling behind with a hand on Percy’s back._

_They didn’t bother turning on the light, the sun wasn’t up yet, but it would be soon, and they all just wanted to get some sleep before then. Jason ducked past Percy, hand already on the door to Nico’s bedroom, when Percy caught him with a hand on his shirt._

_“Don’t even think about it.” Jason frowned, but Percy looked ready to stare him down, hooking his arm around Jason’s neck now. “You’re not gonna spend the last night alone.” Percy hid his insecurity under a great heap of determination, and without letting go of Nico’s hand, he got onto his tiptoes and pressed his lips to Jason’s._

_They didn’t have the excuse of alcohol, they were not that drunk, but Percy was done with excuses anyway. Jason didn’t try to pull away, and when Nico tried to pull his hand out of Percy’s grip, he tightened it. This was his last chance to get this thing right before Jason was gone and out of reach, and he was damn well going to use it._

_Even though Jason had managed to snap out of his shock and kiss Percy back, he still looked like a startled deer when Percy pulled away._

_“It brings luck to kiss people you love on New Year’s.” Percy said, already having turned from Jason to Nico. It seemed like Nico was still trying to get behind the implication of Percy’s words, so when Percy leaned in and kissed him too, Nico didn’t pull away._

_With a nod, more content that he had finally done it than with the outcome of it, Percy let go of them both, walking toward his bedroom to give both of them a second to catch up with what had just happened. The first words Percy heard was Nico asking, tone vaguely amused. “Do I get to kiss you too now?”_

* * *

  


“I hate you.” Percy grumbles, face hidden in the sheets and voice muffled by the pillow he tried hiding his head under. Jason laughs and pulls the covers away, leaning over Percy and pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder.

“I know you don’t. Now get up, your mum’s waiting.” Percy can’t argue with that, they already were late for Nico last night, getting him from the station when he came back from university over the holidays. Nico didn’t mind once Jason scooped him up into his arms, raising him off his feet and almost crushing him with the force of his hug. Percy’s mum won’t be as easy to appease though, and he figures he can survive getting up early for once.

Nico doesn’t complain when Percy slumps against his chest in the kitchen, boxershorts riding low on his hips - he probably grabbed one of Jason’s again - and body still warm from the blankets.

“Tell me there’s coffee.” He murmurs, pressing his lips to Nico’s neck in a quick peck before he hides his face again. Percy can hear Nico snicker, and then he feels his hair being ruffled. “If you get off me I might share mine.” Percy grumbles in response, but obliges, pushing himself off Nico and resting next to him on the counter.

When Percy starts pouting, Nico rolls his eyes, hands him the coffee and leans against him again. “You’re worse than a cat.”

“Shut up.” Percy mumbles, hiding his face and grin behind the mug when he winds his arms around Nico. “I know you love it.”  


* * *

  


Jason almost cracks up when he sinks down in front of the small child, looking at the boy face to face and feeling emotion welling up in his chest. Percy squeezes his shoulder, and Nico kneels next to him, extending his hand toward the child.

“I’m Nico. Don’t mind the big goof.” With a fond grin, Nico nudges Jason with his elbow, startling him out of his stupor. “He is not good with words when he gets excited.”  
Percy chuckles when Jason just nods, still fighting with his voice. Percy gets down on his heels now as well, resting an arm on Jason’s shoulder so he doesn’t fall over, and trying his best not to look too intimidating.

“I’m Percy, this is Jason. Give him a minute.” Percy leans close and shields his mouth like he’s whispering a secret. “He’s shy sometimes.”

The kid looks between them unsure, but then giggles softly, taking and shaking Nico’s hand. The boy is an orphan of the legion, for Jason, it hits a little close to home, especially because he used to know the boy’s father.

“Mommy called me Thommy.” The boy ducks his head and looks at them through his fringe, thick black hair that is just as unruly as Percy’s, eyes shining in a startling yellow colour. There is a sad pout on the kid’s face now, and Jason figured they broke the news to him already. Things have changed a lot since he’s been an orphan of the legion.

“Is it okay if I call you Thommy too?” Percy bends lower, twisting until his head is even lower than the boy’s and he can look at him with the goofiest smile he can manage. Nico always teases him for this, how he can still act like a child at his age, but Percy can’t see a downside of staying young at heart. It works, the boy smiles and nods, holding out his hand for Percy to take.

“Only if you play with me, Purrrrsea?”

 

Jason huffs a laugh when the name rolls off Thomas’ tongue, and Nico hides his smile. Percy gets to his feet and lets the boy pull him along, leaving Nico and Jason to both have a moment to swallow their waves of emotion. Unlike them, Percy never had to deal with losing his family.

“I think..” Jason starts but has to stop to wipe a tear from under his eye before it can roll down his cheek. “I think we can work this out.”

  


* * *

  


“I’m too old for this shit.” Nico complains half-heartedly, sitting in Jason’s lap as Percy pushes the wheelchair onto the dancefloor. He’s grinning like a maniac, even though he wouldn’t be able to walk this far himself it he couldn’t hold himself up on the chair’s handles.  
Granted, Jason was the first to lose his legs, the injuries from his time in the war catching up with him, but neither Nico nor Percy are the youngest anymore, and walking far just isn’t something that’s in store for them. Let alone dancing, but today is a special case, and Percy would be damned if he missed out on this.

“You’re gonna dance on your son’s wedding.” Percy states, bending forward and leaning over Jason to look at Nico. “And you’re gonna like it.”


End file.
